(Defected/Stomp)

The latest mix to come from seminal house label Defected is In The House: Miami 2007, featuring two mixed discs from Copyright and a third unmixed disc, packed full with some of the house hotness we can expect to come out from the WMC. Disc one, Day, holds some great vocal numbers as well as quite a few disco house tracks that you can just imagine groovin’ to as the sun sets on the beautiful South Beach. After the sun sets Night kicks in, featuring house beats with a tougher edge and more kick. Finally, disc three brings some classic Miami tracks compiled by Defected boss Simone Dunmore.

Day opens up with a nice little vocal number from Jada, soft vocals sitting upon a bed of nice bouncy beats to warm things up for the soulful vocals of Lain in Wookie’s Live On ( Mark Grant’s Blackstone remix). Nothing too special here however, just straight up no-fuss house. A couple of killer remixes from Jamie Lewis feature, including Hanna Haïs’ (Je Ne Veux Plus Ĕtre) Ta Reine, a nice disco track with some tortured synth snippets and French vocals laid over the top.

Lewis’ production talents also feature on Bob Sinclar’s Champs Elysees Theme, with soaring strings and an ever present guitar to keep this instrumental moving along nicely. If you are looking for vocal house then look no further than Lisa Millet’s Don’t Bring Me Down, this track doesn’t take itself too seriously and is exactly what vocal house should be all about: big vocals, bouncy basslines and that all important funk. Good stuff for those who love a boogie. Going one better is Warre Clarke’s Lifted featuring the vocal talents of Shena, and more funky goodness from an ever present guitar lead and horn section.

The Night disc has a very promising start with the amazingly distinctive vocals of Bajka in Beanfield’s Tides, a stripped down backing leave a great canvas for this chilled-out piece. There is more vocal goodness with the talents of Abigail in Soul Central’s melancholy Time After Time. One of the highlights on this disc is also Dennis Ferrer’s Church Lady: the Rodamaal club mix is featured with nicely understated beats and bumps holding the gospel vocals together well, really fun stuff.

There is a fair few old school house flavas on this disc as well. Plenty of claps, piano and big synths such as in Jon Cutler’s South Slope ( Distant Music mix) and Momo’s Time To Get It Together. One of the two Copyright productions that appear on the album is We Can Rise, which showcases a big vocal line from Tasita D’Mour that is as effective as is the funky African percussion.

This album does feature some crackin’ new music, however it does suffer as a package due to unimaginative mixing and a fair slab of generic house tracks. Whilst there are some cracking tunes on both discs, they can be few and far between and you’ll find yourself reaching for the skip button more than once. But for those not able to make it over to Miami and dying for a taste of the WMC experience, Defected In The House: Miami 2007 could make for the perfect purchase.